Presidential Latin Scholarship

John Adams to Mr. Marston, September 1st 1821:

“Dear Sir

The Roman dictator was Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus. His Master of the horse was Caius Servilius Ahala whose daring and dangerous exploit was killing Spurius Melius for aiming at royalty. The story is in Livy, Book 4th Chapter 13th In Rollin’s Roman History Vol 2 p 46 In Adam’s defence Vol 3 p 242 The Roman Antiquities of Dionisius Halicarnassensis come not down so low His account is lost but I presume the anecdote is to be found in every general Roman History.

Is it not remarkable that this most memorable of all the applications of the phrase Macte virtute esto is omitted in all the dictionaries Stephens Faber Ainsworth amidst all their learned lumber have forgotten this. They have quoted Virgil Ovid Cicero and even the wag Horace but overlooked Livy.

Horace the rogue in his first book of Satyres Satire 2 lines 21 22 [&c] puts these words into the mouth of Cato and applies them for a very curious moral purpose

“Macte virtute esto inquit sententia dia Catonis

Nam simul ac venas inflavit tetra libido

Huc juvenes aequum est descendere non alienas

Permolere uxores.”

Virgil in his ninth Aeneid has made Apollo Say to Ascanius, after his noble Juvenile exploit in killing Numanus

“Macte nova virtute, puer: Sic itur ad astra

Dis genite, et geniture deos.”

He afterwards descends from his cloud in the shape of old Butes, the Armor Bearer and Janitor and gives Iulus good advice,

Livy’s narration of this whole transaction is ample in his fourth book Chapters 13 14 15 16.

There is in Livy another remarkable application of this phrase by Porsenna, In the second book of Livy Chap 11 12 13 14 is the romantic and miraculous Story of Caius Mucius Scævola and his attempt to kill the king of Etruria in his camp and tent Failing in his enterprise by killing the Secretary instead of the king and expecting death in torment he tormented himself by thrusting his hand into burning. Porsenna showedd soul equally great by pardoning him in these words “Tu vero abi in te mages quam in me hostilia ausus Iuberem macte vurtute esse si pro mea Patria ista virtus staret Nunc jure belli liberam te intactum inviolatum que dimitto.

Some Critics have pretended that Macte is an adverb and some that it is in the ablative case both absurdly.